Albus Dumbledore: A Life, A Legend, Part I
by WelshSparrow
Summary: I've always wanted to do a novel length fic on how Dumbledore grew up, since what we know as readers is in tidbits. Part I is about Dumbledore's preHogwarts life as a child. It may take a while to complete. I am taking 25 contact hours this semester.
1. Chapter 1

Bilius and Martha Dumbledore were your average nineteenth century couple living on a twenty acre farm in Northern England. Bilius, a hard-working herdsman, and Martha, a bustling homemaker, had 8 children. They were: Celeste – a sixteen year old who bosses her younger siblings around, Estelle – an 1850s fashion queen who happened to be fourteen, Aberforth – a twelve year old loner, Albus – the ten year old oddball, Giselle – the nine year old future literary prize winner, Salome – a four year old reporter in the making, and Isolde – a toddling flower child of one. Bilius Dumbledore possessed as much magical confidence as Neville Longbottom and Martha Dumbledore did not use magic. Though a very accomplished witch, she preferred to run her household cooking and cleaning by good hard work, and expected her sons and daughters to do the same.

"Ali! Ali? Celeste, child, where is your brother?" asked Mrs. Dumbledore, as she squeezed out the shirts and hung them to dry. Laundry was a favorite pastime of Martha's. It was her time to reflect on her day. However, today was Albus's day to help with the chores.

"He's not in the house, Mama," yelled Celeste, back to her mother, and turned back into the house. "He's probably out on the moor, with Aber, playing with the billy goats."

That boy, she thought to herself. He was always out in the fields. Every chance he got! Straightening the shirts out on the clothes line, she returned to the house. Their house was not a manor. It wasn't even close. Even though she could use magic to get whatever she wanted, she thought of this as a way of cheating herself and her children. Isolde, her youngest, was a surprise child. Bilius and she didn't plan on having this one. Salome was to be the last one. Celeste was born when she and Bilius graduated from Hogwarts. Estelle made her appearance two years later, and then the boys came. Aberforth and then Albus. It was wonder they weren't born as twins. And then Giselle completed the line of girls.

Albus was the child she most often wondered about. The rest of the children were well grounded, but it seems like he was often off somewhere. His siblings called him Albus the Oddball or Albus the airhead. Her name for him was Ali. Truthfully, he was her favorite son, but she could never show that in front of the others. Ali was the one who made her smile, and with eight children and tons of stress, that didn't happen very often.

"Momma," asked Estelle, coming into the room. Noticing her mother was holding Isolde and was rocking her in the chair with her eyes closed, "Are you okay?"

Mrs. Dumbledore opened her eyes and smiled at her second eldest child. "Sure, darling, I'm fine. Take your sister," she said, handing Isolde to Estelle,"and I'm going to go find your brothers."

"They're out by Blackbird Pond, Momma," said Estelle, taking Isolde and putting her on the patchwork quilt. "Aber said he wanted to show Albus something out there."

"WHAT? Blackbird Pond? Oh dear!" said Mrs. Dumbledore, immediately getting up and tying her bonnet.

Leaving the house at a brisk pace was hard in many layered skirts. Blackbird Pond was known as the pond that everybody stayed away from, mainly because nobody knew what resided in that pond and there was a queer old hermit who lived near the pond. Mrs. Dumbledore didn't want her children associating with such people.


	2. Chapter 2

"Now see here, young fellow, that there is a young billy goat," said the old hermit. Wild Winston was an old wizard who loved showing kids the wonders of his craft. Blackbird Pond had been his home as long as he could remember after Hogwarts. He had been in Ravenclaw and was Head Boy in his day, but few people knew that bit of information. Very modest of his academic accomplishments, he set out to tell others, but in a very indirect way.

"But, Winston, why doesn't it walk straight? Why won't he open his eyes?"

"She, Albus. You wouldn't expect a newborn to know how to skip a rock perfectly on the water, now would you? Many newborns are blind when they first come out of their mother because their eyes aren't adjusted to the sunlight yet. They're completely helpless."

"Oh," said the small auburn-haired boy, grabbing some sweet clover near the pond's banks for the baby goat to smell. Albus loved the countryside. He loved the rolling hills, the quaint villages, the hidden ponds (as Blackbird was), and he especially loved the animals in the spring. When new lambs, calves, and kids were born, his papa would always employ him to help out. He somehow felt a connection with these animals, and also with the very essence of nature itself.

"Come on, there ya go," said Albus gently, as the young lamb began to eat some of the clover. "Where did Aberforth go?"

"He's probably in the high pasture. The young male billy goats are there and you know how fond your brother is of them," said Winston, picking up the baby goat.

"Come now, Albus. We must put this little one back with its mother, find your brother, and be heading back to me hut. The smell of rain is in the air and your mother would have me head if you two caught cold.," said Winston, as he shouldered the young goat, and motioned for Albus to follow him.

(Mother would have your head anyway if she knew you were friends with Aberforth and I.) Albus thought. He loved Winston. Not only was he an interesting old man, he was extremely well educated. He knew everything about animals, plants, medicines, weather….it seemed like he even knew a few magic tricks as well.

Walking from the house to Blackbird Pond seemed to take forever. Since the boys were very familiar with this route, they would take no time to reach the pond and come back with all sorts of dangerous animals in their pockets. Coming over the hill and seeing the familiar opening into the woods, she bolted for it. Aberforth would always come here before Ali was born. And when Ali was old enough, he had never dared to take him along.

"Ali! Ali!" screamed a voice through the woods.

Winston and Albus turned to see the caller, but all they could here was a rustling of petticoats.

"Winston, you must go now! I'll take the responsibility for finding Aberforth. If she sees you, then I'll never see you again. Go, now!"

Winston darted deep into the woods on the far side of the wood's entrance. Albus tried to look for his brother, but the billy goats could have gone anywhere. At least, he thought, Aber will be in much bigger trouble than me.

"Albus Percival Wulfric Brian Dumbledore!"

Albus winced. He hated it when she used his full name. It was a signature moment of embarrassment. He turned and faced his mother, who was glowering at him while coming down the hill.

Without a word, she grabbed him arm turned him sideways, and walloped him on the bottom. "Don't you ever run off without telling me where you're going? Do you hear me, boy?

"Yes, Momma."

"Well, I sure hope you do," she said with a pleading look in her eyes. "Do you remember when our neighbor's son was drowned?" Albus nodded. "All evidence points to Wild Winston. And I don't ever want hear that you've been hanging around this pond and this wood, do you understand me?"

"But, Momma, they've got it all wrong! Winston's not like that! He's a brilliant man," said Albus turning from his mother, and setting his twinkling blue eyes on the ragged hut on the other side of the pond.

"He understands me, Momma, like nobody else I know," making Mrs. Dumbledore drop to her knees.

"Ali, you're my baby boy. Nobody knows you like I do. You've got that gorgeous auburn hair where an angel kissed you, and those laughing blue eyes that put a smile on my face," said Mrs. Dumbledore, holding Albus in her arms.

"But I still think you're wrong about Winston. It's not wise to judge a wizard by the length of his beard, Winston says."

"But how do you know about wizards?"

"Oh, Winston's one. He told me he was at Hogwarts and everything. But now he prefers to live a solitary life. He's taught me a lot of biology, geography, and climatology. I told you he's a brilliant man, Momma."

"Very well, then. I will visit him tomorrow and lay down the law on what he is to discuss with you boys. Come along now. We must find your brother," said Mrs. Dumbledore with a final nod.

Albus followed behind her, immensely relieved she didn't send a shooting party after Winston. He was after all, a good friend of Albus's that would mentor him for years to come.


End file.
